Repeat offender fined $30K for drug possession

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By Tahna Weston

[email protected]

A man was convicted and fined for drug possession after he admitted to the offence before Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel in the District B Magistrate’s Court.

Rondre Robinson of Swetes confessed to having over 140 grams of marijuana in his possession on January 8 and was ordered to pay the state $30,000. He was given 18 months to pay the fine or he will be jailed for two years. An order was also made for the drugs to be destroyed.

Robinson, who is known to the court, has previous convictions for two similar offences which Magistrate Emanuel deemed to be aggravating factors in arriving at her sentence.

He had previously appeared before her and was convicted and fined $25,000 for possession of cannabis, which should have been paid within one year or he would serve an 18-month prison sentence.

Because he had not paid that sum in full, Magistrate Emanuel gave him an extension of six months to pay off the $8,000 balance.

The 21-year-old was arrested and charged after he was stopped by officers from the Special Service Unit and the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force (ABDF), who were on mobile patrol in the Seaview Farm area about 8:40 pm on January 8.

The lawmen had observed a vehicle in the vicinity of the Seaview Farm Primary School with two occupants — a man and woman who were not wearing their seatbelts, which is in contravention of the law. The vehicle did not have a front licence plate which aroused the officer’s suspicion.

They approached the vehicle and made a request to carry out a search, to which Robinson consented. While searching the vehicle the lawmen found five transparent plastic bags, each containing cannabis.

Robinson, a car washer by profession, immediately took responsibility for the illegal substance and  was taken into custody.

The drugs, which weighed 142.5 grams, had an estimated street value of $1,425.

Robinson was represented by attorney Michael Archibald.

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